Rotary vacuum-filter.



E. WAGNER.

ROTARY VACUUM FILTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I3. 1913.

Patented Sept. 19; 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

/ WEA/mn E. WAGNER.

ROTARY VACUUM FILTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I3, I9I3.

1,198,889. n pmenfedsept.' 1916.`

l 43 SHEETS- HE 2. ,f l 3l' I IL- ILJIfIJuIIuIull-f E. f3

wlNEssEs l f /Mv INVENTOR Wm f8, ATTOHEY E. WAGNER. ROTARY VACUUM F|LTEH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I3, |913.

l, 1 98,880. Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EMANUEL WAGNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY VACUUM-FILTER..

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 19, l1916,

Application led March 13, 1913. Serial No. 754,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL WAGNER,

cloth or a similar fabric, which travels over one or more rotating wheels in one or more tanks, in one of which is contained the pulp and the other one of which is filled with water for the purpose ofwashing the cake formed, suitable means being provided for creating a suction or vacuum in rear of the filtering materiall while the same travels in the tank containing the pulp, and furthermore means being used for removing, for instance by air pressure, the cake after washing. Attempts have been made to treat sands containing Ia reasonable amount of slimes or vice versa; much troublepli-as been experienced, however, due to the-*fact that the sands, if introduced either directly or indirectly into a tank containing a filter working with a submerged ltering surface, soon separate out to such an extent that a further operation of thea-machine. becomes impossible. It has beenY attempted to use partly submerged lters in the form of a drum, onto the filtering surface of which the pulp has been fed from above. These devices were, however, defective for the reasonthat no positive means has been provided for retaining the pulp on the filtering surface, and furthermore the drum was submerged in a tank which even if it contained 'clear water only at the start, soon collected such an amount of settled sands and slimes that, although elaborate agitating devices were made use of fior separating and removing the settled sands, the machine became soon useless. v

`One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vacuum filter which obviates these defects in that it consists of a continuously rotating drum having a filtering medium in connection with means which retains the pulp upon the same, such Apulp being fed directly on top of the filtering medium, the usual tank being entirely done away with and the cake formed being washed, or rather the soluti'n still contained therein being -replaced by water which is contained in a shallow trough into which the filtering medium is dipped during its travel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filter in the form of a rotary4 drum, the filtering medium of which is divided into a number of sections, any one ofthose sections being adapted to be replaced independently of the others.

A further object of the invention is to provide a filtering medium made of a plurality of units which communicate through compartments with a suction pump or similar devlce, the commumcation between the said pump and each filtering unit being controlled by an individual valve, which valves are actuated in the rotation f of the drum by a simple operating mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a launder` for feeding the pulp or slimes onto the filtering drum, which launder is provided with means which evenly distributes the sands and slimes over thewhole width of the filtering drum.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacriicing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional elevation of a filtering apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through one of the filtering units of the drum; Fig. 4 is a portion of a section taken on line 4?-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section taken through one of the valves; Fig. 6 is a lan view of thedistributing launder; Fig. is a vertiand 22 are arranged in alinement with each' cal section taken through said launder; and Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of construction of said launder.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the drum of the filtering apparatus, such drum being made of two parts, in the form of'wheels l1 and 12. Each wheel comprises a rim 13, which is made of a plurality of sections suitably bolted together at 14, 14,

and forming an airtight annular compartment 15. The compartment of the wheel 11 isfconnected by and communicates through hollow spokes 16 with a hollow hub 17, and in a similar manner communicates the compartment of the wheel 12 through hollow spokes .18 with a hollow hub 19. The hubs 17 and 19 of the two wheels are bolted to a shaft 2O in any suitable manner. The hub 17 is made integral with, or attached to, a horizontal pipe section 21, which is connected with a suction pump or similar device, adapted to create a vacuum in the compartment of the wheel 11. In a similar manner lis made the hub 19 integral with, or attached to, a pipe section 22, the latter being connected with a force pump which serves to supply pressure to the compartment of the wheel 12. The pipe sections 21 other and with the shaft 20, and form the ]ournals of the drum, said journals being rotatably mounted in bearings 23, 23.

Upon the peripheral portions of the rims 13v are mounted the filtering units 24, 24. Each unit comprises a bottom 2,5, preferably made of wood, its upper surface having grooves 26, 26, which extend throughout the length of saidbottom, and intersect two transverse comparatively deeper channels- 27 in said bottom. rIphese channels slant from the longitudinal edges of said bottom tol ward its center line, where apertures 28, 28

extend through the same. Each bottom 25 has stretched over its grooves 26 a filtering medium 29, such as for ,instance cloth or canvas, and securely fastened to the said bottom, preferably, to its underface by means of nails 30, 30, or other suitable fastening devices. The sides of the filtering units are formed by stripsV 31 of iron or wood, such strips being attached to the said bottoms and extending a substantial distance above their upper faces, forming thereby water-proof pans, adapted to receive a suitable amount of pulp or slimes. The filteringunts so formed are placed side by side upon the wheels 11 and 12 and bolted or otherwise fastened to flanges 32, 32, formed upon the peripheral portions of said rims. The longitudinal axes of the filtering units are arranged, as clearly shown in y. Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 20. A gasket 33 is -placed between the bottom of each filtering unit and the peripheral porment of the wheel 12.

tions of two rims. One of the apertures 28 in the bottom portion of each ltering unit registers with an opening 34 in the rim of the .annular compartment of the wheel 11, each opening leading to an individual valve chamber 35,. arranged within the said compartment. A rotary valve plug 36 is mounted within each valve chamber, having a passage 37 which is adapted to register with an opening 38 in itsvalve chamber, and to open thus a communication between the suction pump and the respective filtering unit, such communication being closed as soon as the valve plug is rotated to bring its passage out of alinement with the opening 38. The valve plugs 36 are operated automatically in the rotation of the drum by stationary pins 39 and 40, which are attached to a support 41 and project into the path of the cross-like actuating means 42, which are keyed or otherwise attached to said valve plugs. Each actuating means 42 comprises four arms 43, 43, which are arranged 90o apart, and adapted to coperate with the pins above mentioned in such a manner that when an arm, in the rotationu of the drum, is

said arm will be shifted through an angular distance of 90, thereby resulting in a turning of the valve through the same distance, and opening or closing the communication between the suction pump and respective liltering medium,a s the case may be. The other aperture 28 in each bottom 25 communicates through an opening 44 in the peripheral portion of the Wheel 12 with a valve chamber 45, arranged in the compart- Each valve chamber 45 is provided with a valve plug 46, which l is in all respects identical with the valve plug 36 above mentioned. The valve plugs 46 carry actuating means 47, similar to the actuating means 42 of the valve plugs 36. The actuating means 47 are adapted to cooperate with pins 48 and 49,4 which are attached to a support 50.

The pulp is fed onto the filter by one or more distrlbuting launders 51, each having converging sides 52 and 53, its bottom 54, which is' slanting, being provided with a row of holes 55, that are arranged in a line parallel to the side 52 of the launder. The inner face of the bottom is covered with sheet iron, denoted by the numeral 56, said iron having 'apertures 57 in alinement with the holes 55, but of a smaller diameter. The launder is arranged above the drum 10, the material iowing through the holes of its bottom being directed by a dash-board 58 into the filtering units as thesame travel in the direction of the arrow, shown in Fig. 1, past said dash-board. It will be observed that the pulp flows into the launder more are parallel to each other and y.to the wall V'surfaces of the units,

53, and is discharged through the holes 55 in the bottom thereof in such a manner that each hole discharges about the same amount of sands and slimes over the whole length of the ilter drum if the launder is given the proper inclination. rIhis is due to the fact that the holes 55 in the bottom of the launder are arranged in a line which is inclined to the direction of the liow of the pulp.

Below the ilteringframe is located a'shallow trough 59 containing wash-water, through which the filtering units are carried in their travel. It is obvious that, instead of the trough, spray pipes may be used. Above the trough 59 is disposed a hopper 60 in close proximity to the filtering frame,said hopper receiving the cakes removed by pressure from the lter, spray pipes 614 facilitating the removal of the cakes and cleaning at the same time the filtering if required.

The operation of this device is as follows: The filter is rotated in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. l of the drawings, and the pulp, that is to say the material to be filtered, flows into the launder 51. A rotary valve plug 36 is set by the pin 40 to an open position before its filtering unit arrives beneath the launder; a communication is' thus established between the suction pump and the said filtering unit. As the unit travels past the dash-board 58, the pulp is fed onto its ltering medium 29 and held thereon, since the filtering unit is made in the form of a pan. Inasmuch as the pan is in communication with the suction pump, the solution is drawn through the filtering medium into the compartment l5 of the wheel- 11, and thence through the hollow spokes to the pump. If the quantity of the material fed to the filtering medium is smaller than the maximum capacityl of the lilter, the solid constituents, upon traveling about through one-fourth of a revolution-of the drum, form a' moist cake,

trough 59, in' which it is washed, that is lthe suction, the rich solution in the 'cake is replaced by water from'the trough 59. Thel washed cake is then carried by the drum toward the hopper 60, where the pin 39 closes the communication between the unit adhering to the surface, of the ltering medium. This cake 'is then dried until it reaches the to say,`due to v communication between the suction pump and the'said filtering unit, and the cycle now described is again repeated. It is to be observed that the hopper 61 may be located directly underneath the filtering drum, in which case, however, the trough 59 must be substituted by spray pipes, which are arranged in front of and above said hopper.

Obviously in this case corresponding changes must be made in the location of the actuating pins 3 9, 48 and 49.

From the'foregoing it will be seen that with the apparatus herein described a miX- ture of sands and slimes can be handled without the aid of agitating devices which are usually employed in lilters working with a submerged filtering surface. The apparatus is simple, the number of parts necessary to build up the filter is reduced to the smallestv possible, the construction is inexpensive, and permits of easy renewals and repairs.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with a rotary drumhaving two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fixedly 'attached to-'the periphery thereof, each unit comprising-a pan having a perforated bottom and a-lltering material above said bottom, said pans communicating'through said perforations with said compartments, two

valves associated with each pan for controlling Vthe communications between the same` and said two compartmeta' suction system connected with one of said compartj ments, a pressure system connected with the other one of said compartments, and means automatically operated --in the rotation of said drum for actuating said valves.

2. In an' apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with a rotary drum having two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent anddetachable filtering units xedly .atv tached to the periphery thereof, each unit Y comprising apan having a perforated bottom and a filtering material above said bottom, said pans communicating through said vperforations with said compartments, two

valves associated with each pan for controlling the ,communications between the same and said two compartments', a suction system connected with one of said compartments, a pressure system connected with the other one of said compartments, means automatically operated in the rotation of said drum for actuating saidvalves, and means for feeding the substance to be filtered into a plurality of holes in a line parallel to one side of said trough, and means for direct-A ing the fiow of material into said launder in a direction substantially parallel to the other side of said trough.

4. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fixedly attached to the peripheries of said two rings, each unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering material resting upon said bottom, said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a perforation with the other one of said compartments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communications between the same and said two compartments, a suction system connected with one of said compartments, a pressure system connected with the other one of said compartments,

and means automatically operated in the rotation of said rings for actuating said valves.

5. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, ofy a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fixedly attached to the peripheries of said two rings, each unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering material resting upon said bottom, said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a perforation with the other one of said compartments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communications between th`e same and said two compartments, a suction system connected with one of said compartments, a pressure system connected with the other one of said compartments, means automatically operated in the rotation of said rings vfor actuating said valves, and means for feeding the substance to be filtered into said pans from above during the rotation of said rings.

6. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units iXedly attached to the peripheries of said two rings,

each unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering materlal resting upon said bottom, said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a lperforation with the other one of said compartments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communications between the same and said two compartments, said valves being disposed in said compart- Y ments, a suction system connected with one of said compartments, a pressure system connected with the other' one of said compartments, and means automatically operated in the rotation of said rings for actuating said valves.

7. In an apparatus for recovering values fromore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fiXedly attached to the peripheries of'said two rings, each unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering material resting upon said bottom, said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a perforation with the other one of said compartments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communicationsvbetween the same and said two compartments, said valves being disposed in said compartments, a suction system connected with one of said compartments, a pressure system connected with the other one of said com-- partments, means automatically operated in the rotation of said rings for actuating said valves, and means for feeding the substance to be filtered into said pans from above during the rotation of said rings.

8. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fixedly attached to the peripheries of said two rings, each unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering material resting upon said bottom, said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a perforation with the other one of said compartments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communications between the same and said two compartments, g

a hollow shaft having two non-communicata suction system and the other one with a pressure system, and hollow spokes connecting one section of said shaft with one of said compartments and the other section of said shaft with the other one of said compartments.

9. In an apparatus for recovering values from ore solutions, the combination with two rotary rings forming two independent compartments, of a plurality of independent and detachable filtering units fixedly at tached to the peripheries of said two rings, cach unit comprising a pan having a grooved perforated bottom and a filtering material resting upon said bottom', said pans communicating each through a perforation with one of said compartments and through a perforation with the other one of said com- 1,198,880 Y v a partments, two valves associated with each pan for controlling the communications between the same and said two compartments, a hollow shaft having two non-communicating sections, one of .which is connected with a suction system and the other one with a pressure system, and hollow spokes connecting one section of said shaft with one of said compartments and the other section of said 10 shaft with the other one of said compartments, the number of said spokes being independent of the number of the filtering units.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 21st .15

day of February, A. D. 1913.

EMANUEL WAGNER. Witnesses: SIGMUND HERZOG,

S. BIRNBAUM. 

